Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles usher in new quarterback era

Let’s play a game …

Player A: 31-of-50 completions for 467 yards. One rushing touchdown. One upset victory.

Player B: 43-of-61 completions (70.5 percent) for 477 yards. Three passing touchdowns. One torched passed.

Player C: 38-of-60 completions for 393 yards. Two interceptions. One humiliating defeat.

You have 30 seconds to guess mystery quarterbacks, matching each of the stat lines over the last two weeks with its respective signal-caller.

Ready, go!

…

…

…

Time!

Give up? Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, Tom Brady.

Feel bad? Don’t. I’m going to explain why those three quarterbacks are listed above, grouped together for obvious purposes (which may or may not include my point).

And my singling out of Brady does not mean I’m dumping on the guy. Sure, he’s had a rough season to this point — he’s completing under 60 percent of his passes, with a 72.9 rating — but the guy is a future Hall of Famer, undeniably one of the greatest of this generation.

Yet, Bridgewater and Bortles, two rookies who were hastily thrust into action, have outshined Brady considerably, showing more playmaking ability than the 37-year-old (possibly declining) vet.

The new fixture faces of the Vikings and Jaguars, respectively, have made their arrival, marking a new era at the position. For any NFL fan, it’s an encouraging thing to see. Brady and, say, Peyton Manning, as good as they are, are no doubt entering/going to soon enter their twilight years. As good as Brett Favre was, he eventually — and pain-stakingly — called it quits, recognizing his time to bow out.

Around the time Favre retired, the young guns began to arrive. We were treated to the likes of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III; Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick; Andy Dalton and, now, Nick Foles.

The NFL quarterback is undergoing a youth movement, and Bridgewater and Bortles represent the 2014 forefront. Both have showed it on the field with some incredible moments.

Last week, Minnesota gave the Atlanta Falcons its best shot — a knockout blow. The Vikings rolled to a 41-28 victory at home, and put on a show for the success-starved fans. Bridgewater, making his first career start, led the way, committing no turnovers, rushing for a score, and displaying a veteran-like demeanor in the huddle and pocket.

‘‘I was confident in the play-calling. I was confident in the guys. And I felt that they were still confident in me,’’ Bridgewater said, via the Boston Globe.

The gutty performance by Bridgewater, who sprained his ankle during the contest, impressed his coaches.

‘‘He’s always got the same demeanor. He’s just amazing to be around, this kid is,’’ Mike Zimmer said of Bridgewater, via the Globe. ‘‘I’m proud he’s on my team.’’

And also the opposition.

‘‘They did basically whatever they wanted to in terms of controlling the line of scrimmage. That is very alarming,’’ Falcons coach Mike Smith said, via the Globe.

In Week 4, Bortles, also making his NFL start, put positive film on tape. Completing a whopping 78 percent of his passes (29-of-37), the UCF product showed well against the Chargers, one of the league’s hottest teams. Although he didn’t get the win, Bortles showed why he was the No. 3 overall pick — and, most importantly, why Chad Henne needs to remain on the bench.

Sure enough, those around Bortles are raving about what they see.

“I think he really is such a composed and poised guy. It’s really uncanny when you talk to him on the sideline during the game how really relaxed (he is),” Jaguars offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch said, per KTUU.com. “He just has this confidence and this air about him.”

And also the opposition.

“He shows a lot of characteristics of a young me,” Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said, via KTUU. “I think he can move better than I can nowadays in my old age, but he does a lot of great things. I’ve excited for his opportunity.”

That you’re reading identical things about Bortwater (… I tried) is no coincidence. It’s not simply because rookie quarterbacks generally inspire hope — whether he saves a franchise (Foles) or ensures its survival (Aaron Rodgers).  It’s because Bridgewater and Bortles are showing extremely well for themselves, given the not-so-ideal situations they’re faced with.

Bridgewater is driving a Vikings ship that’s without its captain (Adrian Peterson), and, aside from Cordarrelle Patterson, isn’t surrounded by legitimate, reliable weapons. His offensive line also lets more-than-enough pressure seep through, making life harder on the ex-Louisville star.

Bortles’ situation is more dire. He’s been given a handful of late-round/undrafted free agent receivers to throw the ball to. While some of whom are making the most of the limelight (Allen Hurns), Bortles simply does not have the necessary talent in place at his disposal. Maybe he will someday. But definitely not now.

… So, after alllll this, I bet you’re wondering about my point.

It’s that I’m damn happy to witness the rise of the new class.

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